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About this project

Support the creative team behind "Home: Cheyenne River" as they seek to turn two years of fine-art photography and young people's creative writing into a coffeetable book that will honor a very special prairie community.

Although many photographers and writers have documented native reservations over the years, the picture they paint of Indian Country tends to be a negative one, focusing primarily on the poverty and social ills that afflict reservation communities. In August 2011, however, a Colorado-based creative team embarked on a project that takes a different approach.

"Home: Cheyenne River" celebrates life on South Dakota's remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, home to four bands of the Lakota Nation. Over the course of two years, in every season, professional photographers Richard Steinberger and Matt Normann captured the beauty that often lies in unexpected places, from the 2.8-million-acre reservation and its communities, to sacred Bear Butte, to the windswept prairie lands that stretch from Cheyenne River to the hallowed ground at Wounded Knee.

“We want to create something that, if we put it into the hands of the Lakota elders, will give them a sense of pride, a feeling that we have honored them,” said Heather Steinberger, an award-winning, internationally published writer who also has worked closely with the not-for-profit Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte for nearly eight years. “We’re not going to whitewash the hardships that are present here. But we hope to demonstrate to a wider audience that what they see of reservation life in the mainstream media is not a complete picture. It neglects to show the pride community members feel for their home. It neglects to show their dedication, and their love."

“To discover that beauty and to appreciate the stories that run deeply within this land and its people, we need to first open our eyes,” she added. “And then, open our hearts.”

The book will incorporate a broad range of fine-art images, and each of those images will be accompanied by a piece of creative writing, carefully crafted by those who know this place best — Cheyenne River’s young people. Heather Steinberger worked closely with local not-for-profit groups and reservation schools to collect poems, essays and short memoirs. These pieces of writing represent the thoughts, feelings and hopes of the next generation, who are perhaps Cheyenne River's greatest treasure.

Since work began on the project in 2011, "Home: Cheyenne River" has received excellent coverage in the press, including pieces in Indian Country Today, the Huffington Post and the Rapid City Journal.

*If we raise an additional $12,000 beyond our goal, we'll be able to purchase an additional 1,000 books!

Approx. Cost Breakdown:

$40,000 Cost to print 2,000 books

$2,500 Book Designer

$500 Photo Editor

$150 ISBN Number

$8,000 Fulfillment of Rewards

$8,000 Shipping / Supplies

$2,700 Kickstarter Fee

$2,700 Amazon Payment Processing

$64,550

Risks and challenges

The risks and challenges for this project are minimal, as all the photography and text are complete and ready for layout. As soon as the project is funded, we will hire a designer to finish the design of the cover and handle page layout. Then we will go to print with the book. The biggest challenge will be loading 2,000 books into the back of our truck, so we'll probably rent a U-Haul! :)

FAQ

We wanted to address this one, because many of our potential backers aren't familiar with how Kickstarter works. This is an all-or-nothing deal If we don't meet our goal, all pledges are cancelled, and we don't get a dime. If we do, that's when the pledges head our way so we can get the book to press!

Kickstarter funds may not be used for charitable causes, so 100% of the money we raise will go toward final layout, printing and distribution of the book (see our budget, above). Once the book is published, however, we plan to donate 50% of the profits from all book sales (and sales of fine-art prints through our website at www.cheyenneriverfineart.com) to the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Those donations will go to CRYP's endowment fund, to help ensure that this wonderful, 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization can continue its vital mission in the community for another 25 years and beyond.

Unfortunately, no. Any images that feature landscapes, flora, fauna or unidentifiable people are fair game... but the intimate portraits will not be available for private art collections (if you are a friend or family member of the portrait subject, please contact us privately). We made this decision out of respect for the people who so graciously allowed us to photograph them.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

Receive a copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook and a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a 5x7 fine art print of our choosing from the book.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Receive a copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook and a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a 8x10 fine art print of your choosing from the book.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Receive a signed copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a signed 11x14 fine art print of your choice signed by either Matt or Richard.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

Receive a signed copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a signed 16x20 fine art print of your choice signed by either Matt or Richard.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Receive a signed copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a signed 20x24 fine art print of your choice signed by either Matt or Richard.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Receive Two signed copies of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and TWO signed 20x24 fine art prints of your choice signed by either Matt or Richard.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

A two-day personalized workshop focusing either on portraiture with Matt or landscape with Richard on Cheyenne River Reservation. One of us will pick you up at the airport in Rapid City and take you to the reservation; meals and hotel room will be provided. You are responsible for bringing your camera gear and making your own flight arrangements. Dates to be arranged upon mutual agreement. You will also receive a signed copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and a 20x24 fine art print of your choice.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

A four-day personalized workshop focusing on portraiture and landscape photography with both Richard and Matt on the Cheyenne River Reservation. We will visit whichever location are most appealing to you and based on your preference we can schedule your visit in conjunction with special events taking place on the reservation. We will pick you up at the airport in Rapid City and take you to the reservation; meals and hotel room will be provided. You are responsible for bringing your camera gear and making your own flight arrangements. Dates to be arranged upon mutual agreement. You will also receive 5 signed copies of the book, acknowledgment in the book, on our website and Facebook, a personalized Thank You postcard featuring one of the images from the book and one 20x24 fine art print of your choice.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

This is the corporate level reward. Any corporation that would like to support us, this one is for you. You'll receive up to ten 16x20 canvases, or posters, or mounted art prints. And up to 100 books. We'll work with you in any way we can including coming to your company for a presentation. Your company will also be identified as a major contributor to the project in the book, press events, exhibitions and anywhere else we can think of.